United Airlines Opens Its Flight Academy

United Airlines this week officially opened its United Aviate Academy in Goodyear, Arizona, a plan it announced almost two years ago as part of an initiative to address the pilot shortage as well as a dearth of female and minority pilots.

United Aviate Academy’s first class of students is 80 percent women or people of color, outpacing the airline’s goal to hire 10,000 new pilots by 2030 – and train about 5,000 at the new Academy, with a goal of half of those being women or people of color.

United is the first U.S. carrier to have its own flight training academy.

“Our pilots are the best in the industry and have set a high standard of excellence,” said United CEO Scott Kirby, who attended an opening ceremony at the site along with United President Brett Hart and Federal Aviation Administration Deputy Administrator Brad Mims.

“Recruiting and training even more people who have that same level of talent, motivation and skill is the right thing to do and will make us an even better airline. I couldn’t be prouder of this first group of students and look forward to meeting the thousands of talented individuals who will pass through these doors in the years to come.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 5.6 percent of all pilots are women and 6 percent are people of color. The cost and the time can be prohibitive – earning a commercial pilot’s license in the U.S. can cost about $100,000 and becoming an Airline Transport Pilot requires 1,500 hours of flight time.

United and sponsor JPMorgan Chase & Co. have renewed last year’s commitment to fund nearly $2.4 million in scholarships for future aviators attending United Aviate Academy.

“As a United pilot for more than 32 years, it’s exciting to see these new students earning their wings and beginning their aviation careers, and I’m looking forward to them joining me on the flight deck one day,” said United Chief Pilot Mary Ann Schaffer. “We need more pilots and a more diverse pool of young aviators, and United Aviate Academy will help us achieve both goals.”